


Fast Friends, and Faster Thieves

by megan_wont_go_to_heaven



Category: Blades in the Dark (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Origin Story, Original Character(s), Partners in Crime, back story, wintercliff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megan_wont_go_to_heaven/pseuds/megan_wont_go_to_heaven
Summary: Sable, a known flirt and manipulator,  has dreams of becoming the biggest info broker in all of Wintercliff's criminal underground. Ruka needs help with his next heist job. Despite her reluctance, Sable accepts his offer and the two are off on what will inevitably become the first of many criminal hijinks.This is a backstory of how my Blades character, Sable, met one of the first important people in her life.





	Fast Friends, and Faster Thieves

There wasn’t much you could say about Rusty Joe’s Bar. Much like every other bar down on the Fifth Tier of Wintercliff, it was a grimy little dive bar full of the working-class poor and the poor criminals enticed in by cheap drinks. Sable fell into that second category of customer, all tho her outward appearance would suggest otherwise with her neatly pressed and stylish clothes.

And while cheap drinks were certainly a selling point, what Sable was really looking for in a bar was interesting conversations she could eavesdrop on. Her interests ranged quite a bit from petty gossip to illicit dealings, anything that could be exploited for her own personal gain really. Add in her ability to always know when people were lying, and things became even more interesting.

Unfortunately, Rusty Joe’s had turned out to be exceptionally dull on the conversational front, so it looked like Sable’s search for a regular bar hang out would continue. As she was coming to this conclusion and deciding to give up she noticed a young man approaching her.

“Well hello there. And what is such a beautiful lady like yourself doing all alone in a place like this,” he said.

Sable suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and kept her smile as sweet as she could. Obviously, she couldn’t blame the poor boy for trying to hit on her but that didn’t change the fact she wasn’t interested.

“Keep moving. You're not my type,” she said.

“What! How can handsome and charming not be your type,” he said with a pout that Sable imagined other girls might find cute.

“My type doesn’t include boys who serve no use to me,” she said.

“Lesbian. Got it,” he said. “I’m Ruka and I’m not useless.”

_Not a lie._

“Okay, Ruka, who isn’t useless, I’m feeling generous. Take your shot,” said Sable.

“Preston Hightower, owner of The Vermillion Arch Casino, known front for the Copper Vipers,” he began. “The Vipers think he’s been embezzling from the casino and they want proof and that’s why I’m coming to you.”

_Not a lie._

“If you’re looking to hire me you should have just started with that,” Sable said.

“Well not exactly. See I’ve been hired by the Vipers, and now I need a little help.” Ruka said. “Listen to this--apparently Preston’s strait. Can you believe that?”

_Not a lie._

“Who would have thought,” was all Sable said, maintaining a level gaze and expressionless face.

“Yeah, which means I can’t just flirt my way through this like I normally do,” he continued. “So, at first I was thinking I could like just crossdress or something--side note I would make a gorgeous girl--and take him out leaving his office vulnerable. But then I was like, hey why don’t I seek help from this Black Sapphire I’ve been hearing about.”

_Not a lie_.

“People have been talking about me,” Sable said, trying not to seem too satisfied with herself.

“Oh yeah! You’re the talk of the town, how you just like, know everything that’s going down from Second Tier to the Docks. Also, people say you’re super pretty and clever,” Ruka said.

_Half-lie._

Sable sighed. Not the truth exactly but he was using flattery, which was much more effective than she would like to admit. She had to give him credit for doing his homework at least.

“So you want me to be the honey pot instead,” was what she ended up saying.

“I mean essentially yes. And obviously, you’ll get, like, compensated and everything,” Ruka said.

_Not a lie._

“As tempting an offer as this is,” Sable began, “I work alone.”

“Okay, but like what if you made an exception,” Ruka persisted.

“What about if instead, I go find another bar where I won’t get harassed by useless little boys wasting my time,” said Sable.

“I’m not useless,” said Ruka with more force behind it than expected from his previously easy-going tone.

Sable raised her eyebrow in question but otherwise continued to remain as emotionless as possible. She wouldn’t give this boy anything to work with but she would take note of this little outburst for her own knowledge.

“I mean, surely we can work something out,” he continued his affable tone back. “Why won’t you work with anyone?”

“Why should I when any partnership is just going to end the same? People don’t stick around Ruka. Never have, never will,” said Sable. “It’s all conditional, and what do you think’s going to happen once you don’t meet the conditions?”

“Huh. Well if that’s how you feel then what’s the harm in helping me with this one little job and then going our separate ways,” said Ruka. “No commitment, clear conditions, you know?”

“Listen, I don’t even know anything about you. You’re a complete stranger,” said Sable.

“Oh, that’s easy enough to fix,” he said. “My star sign is Tarsolar which means I’m great with people. Um, my favorite color is green. No, gold. Wait. No, it’s definitely green. And--”

_Not a lie._

“Stop,” she cut him off. “None of that is relevant. Why do you think that’s the information that would make me trust you?”

“Uh hu, uh hu. Were you born in early Mendar? Because that’s a very Vespira thing to say,” Ruka said.

“Don’t know. Do you want to get back to your point or can I leave now,” asked Sable.

“Right, sorry. I promise you can trust me, and you won’t need to see me ever again if you don’t want to,” said Ruka as he extended his hand to her, pinky finger out. “Pinky promise.”

_Not a lie._

“Pinky promise? What are you 10,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

There was that pout again. Sable sighed and downed the last of her drink as she considered the offer before her. The job certainly sounded easy enough and if it was only for one night it would probably be fine. Get in, get out, and get on with her life.

“You’re going to be persistent about this aren’t you,” said Sable.

“Maaaybe,” he replied, his pinky still extended.

_Not a lie._

“Fine. I’ll do it,” Sable said as she hooked her own pinky around Ruka’s. “I pinky promise to help you expose Preston’s crimes. Happy?”

“Yes. I think this is going to go great,” Ruka said.

_Not a lie._

Of course, he would be the confident sort but Sable wasn’t going to contradict him. Instead, she kept reminding herself that it was only one job as Ruka went over the details.

* * *

The Vermillion Arch Casino stood bright and glittering in the dark recesses of the Third Tier tunnels, its red arched entrance beckoning the gamblers of the city to its game tables. Sable was already sat at the bar dressed the best she could afford, which while not as glamorous as she would like it was still in her signature black with a slit high enough to show off her legs.

“Drink any good,” came Ruka’s voice from behind her.

“Better than Rusty Joe’s,” she replied as he sat beside her. He was dressed in green and gold.

“Well that’s really a low bar to clear isn’t it,” said Ruka. “Love the dress by the way.”

_Not a lie._

“Thanks. I suppose you look alright too,” Sable said.

“That was so close to a compliment. I’m going to pretend that was a compliment,” said Ruka.

_Not a lie._

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to keep your will to live,” Sable said as she took another sip of her drink.

“Love this whole mean girl attitude you’ve got going on. It’s very fun,” said Ruka. “Bartender, could I get a Crimson Slammer, please.”

_Not a lie._

Sable waited until the bartender brought Ruka his drink before continuing on to business. She hadn’t had a lot of time between their original meeting and now to do as much pre-job research as she would like. Not that there seemed to be much to learn. No one had anything particularly interesting to say about Preston, and that gave her several questions.

“So which one of these guys is Preston,” was Sable’s first question.

“See the guy over there in the tastefully boring suit,” Ruka said with a discrete nod at the man. “That’s our guy.”

Sable also took a subtle look at Preston to size him up. In addition to the accurate clothing description, Preston himself was about as average-looking as her research led her to imagine. She also imagined he wasn’t the type of guy who got a lot of notice from women, which would make her job easier at least.

“He looks like a loser, you sure it’s him that’s stealing the money,” was Sable’s next question.

“He might be the concept of vanilla personified but he’s also the one cashing in mysterious checks down at Fourth Tier Municipal,” answered Ruka. “All evidence points to him as shocking as it may seem.”

_Not a lie._

“Interesting. And how did you learn that,” asked Sable.

“Flirted with the bank teller,” Ruka answered.

_Not a lie._

“Nice. Well, I happened to learn that Preston has a business partner you failed to mention,” said Sable. “Care to explain?”

“Liza? I mean she’s probably in on it, but despite having more of a personality than Preston, she’s still only second in command,” Ruka said with a shrug of his shoulders. “May I ask how you learned about that?

_Not a lie._

“Flirted with the card dealer at table five,” Sable said.

“Oh, good for you, she’s cute,” said Ruka. “I don’t think Liza should be a problem. If we just focus on Preston we can probably do what we need without ever having to interact with her.”

_Not a lie._

“Do you know if Liza is here now,” Sable asked.

“She’s the brunette in the dress pants near the poker tables,” Ruka answered.

Sable once again took a discrete look over her shoulder. Liza was a very professionally looking woman watching the dealers and players around the tables with a sharp gaze. She looked busy enough looking for cheaters that she wouldn’t notice if Preston was momentarily occupied with a beautiful stranger.

“Well, better get this show on the road then,” Sable said. “Plan?”

“Simple. You distract Preston with that pretty face of yours so he stays out of his office while I go in and find what we need for the Vipers,” said Ruka.

“Easy, enough,” Sable said. “Distracting people with my pretty face is something I’m very good at.”

She got up from the bar to make her way to Preston in one quick motion, confident that she would be able to fulfill her part of this job. Her own personal preference in partners aside, she had no qualms about flirting her way to getting what she wanted from people. And as long as she got what she wanted before certain people started expecting more from her she was fine.

“Excuse me, sir, are you in charge here,” she asked as she approached Preston.

“Yes, Preston Hightower, owner, at your service Miss,” he said. “How may I help you?”

_Not a lie._

“Oh, the owner! How exciting,” she said, feigning awe. “That must be such an interesting job.”

“Well, that’s very nice of you to say. Being a casino owner is interesting. You get to meet lots of fun people,” he said.

_Not a lie._

“And this casino is so beautiful and classy. You’re doing such a good job,” she continued. “You must be very successful.”

As she said this she placed her hand on Preston’s arm and with a gently subtly hand repositioned the two of them so that his back was facing the office door across the room. Sable however could see the door where Ruka was making quick work of the lock and slipping into the office. As she watched, she let out a convincingly fake laugh as she realized Preston made a joke.

“Successful and funny! Can you possibly get any better,” Sable said.

“Aw shucks, I don’t know about all that but I was once told my personality was as vibrant as a white crayon,” Preston said. “That’s the brightest color in the box.”

_Not a lie._

“I’ll add modesty to your list of admiral qualities,” she said.

“Yeah, my partner Liza told me that back in the 9th grade after I tried to show her my stamp collection,” Preston said. “It’s one of the nicest things she’s said to me.”

_Not a lie._

“That’s so interesting. You have to tell me more about this stamp collection,” Sable said.

As many times as she had done this routine, Sable had to admit she was finding it very difficult to maintain her fake interest and make it believable. The best thing to do now was let him do all the talking so she didn’t have to struggle to find nice things to say about him. Preston for his part seemed confused but happy to be talking about his stamp collection. The man obviously wasn’t use to this sort of treatment.

Sable continued to fake smile and laugh as she kept an eye on the door. She was relieved when she finally saw Ruka come out of the office. He gave her a thumbs-up before prowling away into the casino crowd. Now she just had to make her own escape.

“Oh, Preston darling, as much fun as this conversation is I’m afraid I’m going to have to bring it to an end. But perhaps we can pick it up again some time,” Sable said, doing her best to sound regretful.

“So soon? You know, I have a very nice vintage of Mousseux wine back in my office. We could go get it and continue our conversation,” Preston said.

_Not a lie._

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” Sable said. “But I promise we can meet again ”

Sable began to pull away from Preston only to feel the sharp steel of a blade poking into her side as Liza sidled up beside her. From her other side, she felt Preston wrap his arm around hers with a tight grip.

“Oh, I think you’re going to want to come with us to the office,” said Liza.

_Not a lie._

Sable said nothing out loud but silently cursed as Liza and Preston began herding her towards the office. She remained calm, however, and put on her best confused, innocent voice.

“I don’t understand, is something wrong? I was just having such a lovely conversation with Preston,” Sable said.

“You can cut the act sweetheart because neither of us is buying it,” said Liza.

_Not a lie._

“What gave me away,” Sable asked as she began going through alternative plans.

“Please, people don’t flirt with Preston,” said Liza. “The last woman to give him a compliment was his mother.”

_Not a lie._

“Yeah,” said Preston for emphasis as he opened his office door.

“Uhg, you’re pathetic,” Sable said as she was pushed into the room.

Liza closed the door behind her and stood there, her knife held ready to use if necessary. Preston remained close to Sable’s side, ready to grab her again if she were to try anything. Not that she was stupid enough to try anything physical--she was well aware of how small and weak she was.

“Now that we’re all alone, why don’t you tell us what you’re doing here,” asked Liza.

“Okay. I’m willing to talk, but I need some assurances,” Sable said.

Ruka was gone and she was on her own just like she knew she would be in the end. She owed nothing to him or the Copper Vipers. Liza gave Preston a questioning look and he gave a nod of his head.

“We’re willing to negotiate,” said Liza.

“Wonderful. I’m only a sub-contractor so you can trust I have more interest in walking out of here alive than in protecting anyone who hired me,” Sable said.

“We can understand that,” said Preston. “If you cooperate and tell us what we want you can go free.”

_Lie._

“You are the smart one in this operation, aren’t you,” Sable said, changing tactics. “Since, in addition to giving you the information you seek, I can help you strike back. My loyalty can be bought, and right now the price is not being killed.”

“I like to think both me and Liza each have our strengths and that’s why we are so successful,” said Preston.

_Not a lie._

“And why should we believe someone who got caught can be of any use,” asked Liza.

“An uncharacteristic mistake I promise,” said Sable. “Should I have flirted with you instead?”

“You’ll never know,” Liza said. “Preston, I’m getting bored, how do you want to handle her?”

Sable looked between Liza and Preston looking for anything else she could exploit. Her negotiations weren’t working and she was running out of ideas. But before she could worry about her next move she noticed the doorknob quietly begin to turn. And then the door swung open wide and fast knocking Liza off her feet and the knife from her hand as she hit the wall hard.

“Scatter,” yelled Ruka from in the doorway.

Sable didn’t need to be prompted. As soon as the door hit Liza she took her chance to jab an elbow into Preston’s side as violently as she could while he was confused and headed through the door. Then her and Ruka were running through the casino.

Sable was fast and nimble as she weaved in between people and obstacles as she ran. Ruka made sure to knock over as many drink servers and customers as he could, leaving a trail of destruction for Preston and Liza to navigate once they started to pursue them. At least he yelled sorry as he knocked people over.

Sable reached the casino entrance where the security guard had been roused from their normal routine by the distant sounds of commotion. She stopped short, as she was once again confronted with the harsh reality of being five feet of all resolve and no prowess. Time to switch to the true and tested method of pretending to be a hysterical customer.

“Miss, I’m going to need you to stop right there,” said the security guard.

“Oh, thank goodness! Something terrible has happened to Preston,” Sable said in her most distraught tone.

“Miss, I need you to calm down. What’s going on,” the guard asked.

“No time! Can’t you hear all the yelling,” she continued.

As if on cue Ruka caught up to her at that moment. He didn’t slow his momentum as he approached and in one quick motion grabbed the guard’s arm, and swung him around towards the casino floor.

“Listen to the lady! You need to get to the casino floor now! Right now! Go go,” Ruka said in a rush of breath that mirrored Sable’s own fake distress.

“See, I told you! They need help,” Sable added on, giving her own little nudge to the guards back.

“Wha--oh! Oh no,” the guard said as he tried to keep his balance. “Alright, I’m going.”

Those last words were barely out of the guard’s mouth before Sable and Ruka were out the casino doors and running down the street as fast as they could. They didn’t stop until they reached the safety of the Fourth Tier tunnels with their many dark alleyways. Sable ran into one of these allies and leaned on the wall to catch her breath. Ruka ran in behind a minute after her and also proceeded to double over panting.

“Shit, you’re really fast for someone with such short legs,” was the first thing Ruka managed to get out.

“You came back for me,” Sable said, ignoring his comment.

“Um, yes,” he said, slightly confused.

“Why,” Sable demanded.

She was looking directly at Ruka now. Her special abilities might be able to tell her when people lie or tell the truth but it didn’t tell her why. It was up to her to figure out the motivation. And as far as she could see there was no angel, no deception, no trick she could discern to explain what he did and she couldn’t understand.

“Cuz’ you’re my accomplice? And I pinky promised,” Ruka said.

_Not a lie._

“You came back for me because you pinky promised,” she said incredulously.

“Um, yes? And you’re cool? Is that a better answer” Ruka said, still confused.

_Not a lie._

“Who fucking does that? Who keeps their promises! And tells the truth to people they just met! And risks themselves for strangers when they could get away free! Why are you like this,” she demanded with increased confusion.

Ruka paused as he took in Sable’s questions. He looked thoughtful as he tried to work out how to articulate an answer.

“Okay so like you ever have these voices in your head? Like, the voices of people from your past telling you how worthless you are and reinforcing every negative thing you believe about yourself,” Ruka began.

“I--yeah actually,” Sable said. “I get that.”

“Right! So when I hear that voice in my head I try to do the opposite of whatever it’s telling me,” explained Ruka. “So when I hear that voice telling me to save myself and not to care about anyone else, I did the opposite. I don’t want to be like that voice.”

_Not a lie._

“Actually, I kind of understand all that. Most of what I do is to spite that voice and prove it wrong,” said Sable.

“Well, I don’t know what your inner voice says but I know it’s wrong because you’re doing great,” Ruka said.

_Not a lie._

“Uhg, now you’ve gone and made me like you,” she said with annoyance.

“I am very likable,” he said then gasped. “Waite! Does that mean you still want to hang out even though the job is over?”

“We can get one post-mission drink to celebrate before we go our separate ways,” Sable said.

“Oh oh oh, I know where we can go! There’s this bar called The False Chestnut over on Pine Street that I’ve been wanting to try,” Ruka said excitedly.

Sable said nothing but she couldn’t help roll her eyes in amusement at Ruka’s enthusiasm. She followed him out of the alleyway and listened to his idle chatter as he led the way to the bar. She would humor him for a few more hours and then move on to what was next. It was the least she could do after he risked his life to save her.

One drink and that would be it.


End file.
